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Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Pregnancy Over 40, Getting Pregnant For The New Year Starts With Gratitude

I've written before about how you need to acknowledge what you do have to attract what you want in your life.
I
spent many years wanting a baby and part of realizing what might have
been "the impossible dream" (i.e. 44 with only one fallopian tube)was to
take a hard look at the positive aspects of my life. Many of us fall
into the trap of only looking at what we don't have. I assure you, our
lives could be much worse. So, here is a list of what I've been
thankful for in 2014 (there's 20 things here, but I could think of many
more). You'll notice some things are little and some are big. That's
okay. Just get into the mindset of gratitude. You'll be surprised how
it helps you achieve the impossible.

1. I'm thankful every minute of every day that my daughter selected me as her mother
2. I'm thankful that I never gave up hope of having a baby - even though I was slammed by the medical community
3.
I'm thankful that every miscarriage I had didn't incapacitate me and I
kept listening to my internal "knowing" that I would have a baby.
4. I'm thankful I have a husband who has stuck by me through all the hard times
5. I'm thankful I have a home
6. I'm thankful I have a car
7. I'm thankful I have extended family close by
8. I'm thankful I have this blog with thousands of readers from all over the world
9. I'm thankful for my south facing windows which keep the house warm with solar heat
10. I'm thankful for my close friends
11. I'm thankful for my computer which I actually know how to use now
12. I'm thankful I like healthy food
13. I'm thankful that I'm in good health
14. I'm thankful for all the new technology which has come about in my lifetime which has made life easier
15. I'm thankful for my kickboxing class
16. I'm thankful for my part-time college teaching job which allows me to be a stay-at-home mom
17. I'm thankful for for my good neighbors
18. I'm thankful for the mountain in back of my house
19. I'm thankful for my fuzzy robe I wear in the morning when I'm freezing
20. I'm thankful that I'm thankful

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Trying To Get Pregnant, The Importance Of Zinc

I've written before about the importance of zinc for fertility. Foods high in zinc include:

oysters

wheat germ

beef and lamb

pumpkin seeds (and squash seeds)

cashews

cocoa powder

Chicken and Pork

Some beans

This article talks about how an egg needs zinc to become
fertilized and become an embryo. Although this study was not done on
humans, it's probably good to make sure your diet includes zinc rich
foods or take a supplement that includes zinc. Read more:

Northwestern
scientists, working with mice, discovered the egg becomes ravenous for
zinc and acquires a 50 percent increase in the metal in order to reach
full maturity before becoming fertilized. The flood of zinc appears to
flip a switch so the egg can progress through the final stages of
meiosis. Meiosis is when the egg sheds all but one copy of its maternal
chromosomes before it can be fertilized by a sperm and become an embryo.

"Zinc helps the egg exit from a holding pattern to its final critical
stage of development," said O'Halloran, the Charles E. and Emma H.
Morrison Professor of Chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and
Sciences at Northwestern. "It's on the knife's edge of becoming a new
life form or becoming a cell that dies. It only has 24 hours. Zinc seems
to be a key switch that helps control whether the egg moves forward in
its development stage. "www.sciencedaily.com

Friday, December 26, 2014

Pregnancy Over 40, Luteal Phase Defect

If you've been reading up on infertility or if you've read articles on trying to conceive, you've probably heard of luteal phase defect.
The luteal phase of a menstrual cycle is the time between ovulation and the beginning of your period. Sometimes, women have a problem with their luteal phase being too short.

As the article explains, there are treatments for luteal phase defect. I believe I had this very problem, however, I was able to overcome this it through natural means. After I started my all natural pregnancy protocol, my cycles did lengthen and, most importantly, I was able to carry my last pregnancy to term.

Why the Defect?
Information gathered by the InterNational Council on Infertility Information Dissemination, Inc. (INCIID) in Arlington, Va. describes LPD as a commonly misunderstood condition that frequently affects fertility.

In a normal cycle, your body creates a hormone called FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) which causes the formation of a mature, egg-containing follicle in one of the ovaries. The follicle bursts and turns into what is called the corpus luteum, which secretes the hormone progesterone. The elevated progesterone causes the uterine lining to thicken and gives the embryo a place to attach. When a luteal phase is less than 10 days, a pregnancy cannot be sustained because there is not enough progesterone being produced.

There are several places where a normal menstrual cycle can be interrupted. Poor follicle production, premature demise of the corpus luteum and failure of the uterine lining to respond to normal levels of progesterone are some of the causes. These can be separate problems, or they can overlap each other in causing disruption to the normal cycle.from Luteal Phase Defect
How It Affects Fertility (www.preconception.com)

Saturday, December 20, 2014

When you're having trouble getting pregnant, holidays like this one
can be excruciatingly painful. I recall a time when I was trying to
concieve, I got the stomach flu the night before a big family holiday
dinner. I was sick but happy that I didn't have to attend.

I
felt like an alien from another planet. Somehow I was given this body
that couldn't reproduce! It seemed so natural and easy for everyone
else. I always felt that people were wondering what's wrong with me.
Now that I have the benefit of hindsight, I realize that I projected my
own feelings on to others. They didn't obsess on my reproductive
physiology half as much as I did (if at all).

One of the best ways I found to deal with holidays or other times when I was feeling left out, is I would remember that it will
be my turn one day. I always held firm to that belief. If I saw the
cute little kids dressed up in their holiday clothes happily
participating in all the festivities I would smile and imagine how cute
my kid is going to look some day. Instead of being angry and jealous,
it helps to join in. It's easier to do this with kids because they
don't ask those probing questions about getting pregnant, etc. If you
want to attract something into your life, you need to see yourself as
already having it (and behave as if you already have it). Kids attract
kids. You may think this process would be too painful, but once I
realized how I manifest what I want in my life, it changed my thinking.
It gave me hope.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

I know that many of my readers come from different religious backgrounds and beliefs. I find, however that even if you are not of a particular faith, there can be helpful aspects of learning about their beliefs and writings. I grew up Catholic and did not do a lot of bible reading. However, here is a guest post from a woman who helps women and couples with infertility from a biblical perspective:

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Pregnancy Over 40 and Preconception Communication

I
have written before about something call preconception communication
where you receive some kind of visit or communication from your yet to
be born or conceived child (see my previous post here: Preconception Communication)

I've
been watching a show called "Celebrity Ghost Stories" which used to be
on the biography network, but is now on the Lifetime Movie Network. It
is a very interesting series of stories told by different celebrities
about their paranormal experiences.
One epsiode had Tracey Gold
and she told the story of how she kept seeing a little boy and then
subsequently had the feeling that she had to get pregnant again. She is
sure this vision of the little boy was her youngest son who was
conceived and born shortly thereafter.

So if you
continuously see or dream about a child, this may be a good sign! Be
sure to be an open vessel and invite this child into your life.

Friday, December 12, 2014

What are castor oil packs? Can you make your own?

Castor oil, when used on the skin (externally) will absorb and it is thought to help detoxify the body. Castor oil increase lymphocytes which remove toxins from your body. They also can help increase circulation and decrease inflammation. Here is one of my videos on how to make your own:

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Guaifenesin Cough Syrup For Cervical Mucus

I
remember hearing about taking a certain type of cough syrup to help
with cervical mucus and I actually did try it. I'm not sure if it
helped or not because I had stopped using it when I got pregnant with my
daughter. But for anyone interested, this article explains how cough
syrup can help (please note, the article mentions "Robitussin", however,
the active ingredient is Guaifenesin which may be found in many other
over-the-counter cough medicines):

How does Robitussin improve cervical mucus?
Robitussin is an expectorant, which means it helps thin out the mucus in your lungs. This helps with coughing because it is easier
to clear the mucus out of your lungs when you cough if the mucus is
thinner. What’s nice about Robitussin is that it doesn’t just work on
the mucus produced in your lungs, it also helps thin out cervical
mucus. Thinner mucus is better for sperm and may improve your chances
of getting pregnant.
When should you take Robitussin?
The best time to take Robitussin
is about 5 days before you expect to ovulate and also on the day of
ovulation. If you are using OPKs (or ovulation prediction kits)
continue taking until 2 to 3 days after your have had a positive OPK.
The recommended dosage is two teaspoons taken orally three times a
day.

Monday, December 08, 2014

Pregnancy Over 40, Many Women Still Very Fertile

I've
written before about how doctors, the media, and society in general
seems to think that if you're over 40 you'd better run not walk to the
closest fertility clinic because time is running out.
This
message may be creating a new problem: unplanned pregnancies in
"older" women. If you've been following my blogs, you probably saw that
I, myself, got pregnant completely by surprise at the age of 49 (but
miscarried). The FPA which is an organization that provides education
and assistance on sexual health and birth control options in the UK is
starting an awareness campaign about this very problem. Of course, if
you're trying to conceive, this may be good news...it may not be as
tough as you think. Read more from: www.fpa.org.uk

“Whilst
the message about fertility declining with age is an important one, it
is often overplayed, alongside disproportionate messaging about
unplanned teenage pregnancies. It sends an inaccurate message to women
and society that only the young fall pregnant and is leading older women
to believe their fertility has gone long before it actually has”.

“Unplanned pregnancies at any age are very difficult” she continued.

“For the last 80 years, FPA has been helping women plan and prevent
pregnancies. It’s important that women realise it’s entirely conceivable
that just one night of unprotected sex in your late 30s, 40s, even 50s
can end in an unplanned pregnancy. Our helpline receives calls from such
women, shocked this has happened to them. They thought their age would
protect them from becoming pregnant.

Saturday, December 06, 2014

ACIDIC, ALKALINE FOODS FOR CONCEPTION AND ODDS OF A GIRL

First, let me say that most couples who are experiencing the heartbreak and frustration of infertility would welcome a baby of any gender. I used to jokingly say that I would gladly accept a boy, a girl or an alien when I was trying to conceive. But there are many couples who do seem to have a strong desire for one gender over another. That has led to a lot of speculation about whether or not there are things you can do to encourage conception of a girl or a boy. There are many experts out there that say your chances of a boy or girl are the same as they always have been....50/50. But those that believe you can tip the odds of having a girl in your favor think that creating a more acidic environment in your cervical mucus will encourage conception of a female. The reasoning here is that sperm that create girls are heartier and and survive the acidic environment better than sperm that create boys. The problem? If you are having trouble conceiving....creating an acidic environment may hurt your chances of getting pregnant at all. In general, it is believed that an alkaline environment is best to get pregnant.
Read more (including examples of acidic and alkaline foods):

Thursday, December 04, 2014

If you are trying to conceive, I'm sure you are aware that there are food that can help you get pregnant. However, there are some superstars that are a bit unusual that may not be readily available in your local grocery store. Here are some you might try:

Bee Pollen and Royal Jelly - these are super concentrated food that include many essentials for a complete explanation and description of bee pollen and royal jelly, click here

Maca - grows in the Andes region and is also called Peruvian Genseng it is known as a fertility enhancer by increasing sperm count in men and increases female fertility because is it high in iron and it helps to regulate hormones by working on the pituitary gland and assisting with the proper balance of estrogen and progesterone.

Acai Berry - this is thought to increase egg quality (studies are currently underway in humans, but it has shown to help egg quality in animals). Acai helps with sleep which is also important for women to regulate their cycles. It fights free radicals and its fiber helps to detoxify the body.

Tuesday, December 02, 2014

Get Pregnant Naturally, This Woman Did At 45!

I thought I would re-post this story I did back in 2011 about a women who contacted me from the "blogosphere" who had three children over the age of 40. Read more:
I heard from a woman who suffered from "infertility" when she tried to conceive in her 30's.
She
then proceeds to have three children naturally over the age of 40 (her
last when she was 45!) I asked if I could share her story to give my
blog readers proof that some women are more fertile in their 40's than
their younger years.

She also has a long-term perspective of parenting
over 40 since her oldest child is now 18. Read more from Dorothy
Handelman:

Dorothy Handelman and Family

Prior to turning 40, my future as a mother was uncertain. I had had a
failed pregnancy that was accomplished with the assistance of a noted
fertility expert in New York. So, I was not optimistic that I had the
time or the ability to have the children that I desired. When my
marriage of 2 ½ years came to an abrupt end, I remember telling my
mother that I felt like “my life was over”. Trying to console me, she
thought that “a few more things were going to happen to me.”

Returning to the dating pool as a divorcee I didn’t realize that
possibilities even existed. I met a great a guy and found myself
pregnant at 40, 43 and 45 without any fertlity assistance. Motherhood
over 40 has many blessings and many challenges. Along the way I have
mostly had the patience required for my children but not always the
energy to ride bikes all day or climb mountains. Our three kids (now
18, 15, and 13) are fine, happy and able bodied and their dad and I are
very grateful that we have created this family.

Turning 40, I was very hopeless
that I would have any children as the experts painted a very pessimistic
image of an older woman’s chances of conception. But, sometimes the
experts have it all wrong.

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About Me

After years of infertility, and finally the birth of her daughter at the age of 44, Sandy Robertson shares information about natural ways to conceive on her website (getpregnantover40.com) and her three blogs on infertility over 40, miscarriage and recurrent miscarriage, and pregnancy/motherhood over 40.